\doc\web\98\02\mtucib.txt Isn't this the same guy who has sworn to eliminate tracking and gifted student programs??? (What else can we expect from this guy who takes an apprenticship system from the middle ages, and essay tests from the 19th century, and then declares that they are what we need for the 21st century??) Again, people have missed the reason why the CIM is at the 10th grade - In Germany, a 10th grade certificate marks the END OF HIGH SCHOOL for the working track. If Tucker were to apply this model directly in the US, then most students would have to be tracked between workers and college track, and the workers would be pushed out of the system at the 11th grade. German university trackers stay in HS until 13th grade, compared to Tucker's idea of bailing out at grade 10. Isn't the IB just an elite high school program? I don't think it's meant to substitute for the 1st 2 years of college as Tucker seems to promote the last 2 years of high school for the college trackers. If that's true, then 2 yrs of high schooll plus 2 years of free college would be equal to a bachelor's, and that's not the picture we get from his proposal. How did you get this paper? Most materials they charge money from the NCEE, is this on the web, or did you send for it? > Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 09:13:55 -0600 > To: Education Consumers Clearinghouse > From: Jeanne Donovan > Subject: International Baccalaureate & Marc Tucker > >I would appreciate any input from you-all before I start to make waves > >locally to see if we can get an IB program in one of the public schools > >in our rural SW Washington county. Too late for my own children, alas. > >Sincerely, > >Anna Harbell > >Montesano, WA > > Dear Anna, > > The Iternational Baccalaureate program has a web site. I don't remember the > URL, but found it a long time ago by doing a search on AltaVista. When I > made queries, I received both pro and con arguments for it. Just yesterday > I read a paper written by Marc Tucker for the NCEE titled "A School-to-Work > Transition System for the United States." The IB curriculum is one of the > options Tucker recommends for students once they have finished high school > at age 16(!). He says: > > "Because more than half our colleges now require no more than a high school > diploma for admission, it is likely that they would also accept the > Certificate of Initial Mastery for admission, since the standards met by > the students would be substantially higher. But some students, even if they > could go right to college after receiving the Certificate, will not want to > do so, perhaps because they are involved in the sports program or do not > want to leave their friends. For these students, the high schools could > offer an American version of the International Baccalaureate, essentially > providing the equivalent of the first two years of college right in high > school and then allowing students to enter the upper division of college > when they leave." > > As a further point of interest, Tucker goes on to say: > > "Some will opt to go right into the workforce or into a community service > program, choosing to defer further education for a while. Given the > standard these students will have met, they could hardly be considered > dropouts in the current meaning of that term, being more qualified than > many, perhaps most, of those who now earn a high school diploma. Even so, > some people will be horrified at the prospect of allowing youngsters toeave > school at 16. The reality, though, is that many bright and able youngsters > are simply weary of school at this point and anxious to get on with their > lives." > > Jeanne Donovan > Fort Worth > > The most important education we do is that which we do first at the primary > and secondary level - N. Donovan > > > EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE >